The 5 D's of Dodgeball Could Keep Us from Spiderman and Forrest Gump

I had a friend of mine post on his blog, and it really made me think.

"Sticks and Stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I remember thinking (even as a young child) that I did not get this rhyme. I remember hearing it a lot, and even saying it, but never understood it. I remember thinking that I would rather have sticks and stones thrown at me. If something is thrown at you, you have the ability to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. You know, the 5 D's of Dodgeball - I'll find out who the real movie people are out there :) Or, you can pull a Forrest Gump and get to a point where the person can no longer reach you with the throw. But words....words are a different creature. No matter how much you apply the 5 D's of Dodgeball, words will always smack you "right in the beak." You try to run as fast as you can, words will always catch up. Has anyone seen Spiderman 3? When I think of hurtful words, its like having that black suite on as Spiderman. When Peter figured out that the black-ooze on him was causing him and others pain, he tried to rip it off. He struggled and tore at it, but it seemed to want to hold on with all its might. That is how I see words. Words are a very powerful thing.

Am I saying anything that sounds new to anyone? I think that we all know this fact about the words we speak. Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." James 3:9-12 says, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers,
can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (Man, I love James...but that's another post) Again, I'm not saying anything new here. Then, can I ask a very hard question: Why do we still have a hard time controlling our tongues? Trust me, this is one of those "when I point at you, I have three more pointing back at me" moments. I have "one of those days" and say things to my kids that keep me up at night (and even after I apologize to them, I still don't feel any less like a creep). And I swear, there are times that I think my wife is going to take me in a head-lock and give me a "nuggy" (is that spelled right) for some of things I say to her.

I don't know. I think from now on, I am going to apply the 5 D's of Dodgeball. If I don't think that what I am about to say can be dodged, ducked, dipped, dived, and dodged, then maybe I don't need to say it. I'm sure there will be times I still throw wrenches, but hopefully it won't be as much. It just might bring a smile to "our" Dodgeball Coaches face and keep others from feeling like Spiderman or Forrest Gump.